WEBVTT MARGARET:rt THE ALAMANCE COUNTYHEALTH APARTMENT IS A DAYCAREHAS BEEN OVERWHELMED WITH FLEAS.rtONE OF THEIR FORMER EMPLOYEESSAYS SHE WAS FIRED, AFTER SHETOLD A PARENT THE PROBLEMS THEDAYCARE WAS FACING.OUR DAVONTE MCKENITH HAS THISEXCLUSIVE FRrtOM BURLINGTON.DEVONTE: 4-YEAR-OLD MASON STILLWITH A BIG SMILE ON HIS FACE DESPITE THE 14 FLEA BITES ON HISFACE, HIS ARMS, AND HIS LEGS.THE BITES ON HIS LEGS HAD TO BEDRAINED, LEAVING BEHIND THESESCARS.HIS MOTHER, AUBREY BRIDGES, SAYSHER SON CAME HOME FROM THEDAYCARE WITH BITE MARKS IN EARLYrtAUGUST. 4-YEAR-OLD MASON STILL WITH ABIG SMILE ON HIS FACE DESPITE THE 14 FLEA BITES ON HISFACE, HIS ARMS, AND HIS LEGS.rtTHE BITES ON HIS LEGS HAD TO BEDRAINED, LEAVING BEHIND THESESCARS.HIS MOTHER, AUBREY BRIDGES, SAYSHER SON CAME HOME FROM THEDAYCARE WITH BITE MARKS IN EARLYAUGUST. rtWHEN AUBREY ASKED THE STAFF WHATBIT MY CHILD?, SHE SAYS THEYWOULDN'T TELL HER THrtAT IS, EXCEPT MASON'S TEACHE>> SO SHE IS LIKE, MISS AUBREY,rtCAN I PUT YOU OUTSIDE FOR ASECOND?SHE PULLS ME OUTSIDE AND SHE'SLIKE IT'S NOT AND'S, IT'S FLEAS.DAVONTE: WE GOT IN TOUCH WITHMASON'S TEACHER.WHO SAYS SHE WAS LATER FIREDBECAUSE SHE TOLD AUBREY ABOUTTHE FLEAS.rtHERE'S A TEXT CONVO BETWEEN THETWO THE TEACHER SAYING JUST DON'TLET THEM KNOW I TOLD YOU ABOUTTHE FLEAS.AND THEN TELLING AUBREY ABOUTANOTHER CHILD SAYING, ONE LITTLErtGIRL GOT BIT 8 DIFFERENT PLACES.THE HEALTH DEPARTMENT CONFIRMSTHEY FOUND MANY FLEAS IN THEPLAYGROUND AREA ALL WHILErtCHILDCARE NETWORK HAD NO COMMENTFOR WXIIODDLY ENOUGH, A SPOKESPERSON FORTHE DAYCARE ALLEGEDLY DIDRESPOND TO AN UPSET MOTHER.rt>> SHE GOT SOMEBODY ELSE TORELAY THE MESSAGE THATrt SHE HASHEARD MY CONCERNS AND THERE'SNOTHING SHE CAN DO.

The Alamance County Health Department says a day care has been overwhelmed with fleas on their property.

The Childcare Network facility in Burlington was inspected for fleas in early August.

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In an initial conversation on Aug. 10 with Childcare Network's corporate office, Kami Dykes, a representative in parent services, said they had two visits from the Environmental Health Department of Alamance County and no insects were found. That was after a parent's complaint on Wednesday, Aug. 2 and after Orkin reportedly treated the playground on Aug. 4.

Also during the initial conversation, Dykes said they have "a regular pest control service."

According to Carroll, the health department visited the day care on Aug. 4 and found "many fleas" on the playground area. This was after a complaint filed by Debbie Johnson. The complaint is as follows:

"Day care is full of fleas. Grandmother said that her son had to pick the baby up from the infant room because of this. The teacher told the son that she had been bit 3 times by fleas."

WXII 12 News tried to bring the reports from the health department back to Childcare Network. Dykes refused to comment after the conflict of information was discovered.

Aubrey Bridges is a mother who had a 4-year-old child attend the day care. Mason has a big smile on his face, despite the 14 flea bites on his arms, legs, and face. The bites on his legs had to be drained, leaving behind scars.

Bridges said finding her son in these conditions pained her.

"I cried a little bit," said Bridges. "I was really upset."

Bridges made a Facebook post, displaying her frustration. In it, Bridges shares the aftermath of Mason's bites.

"Mason has developed an allergic reaction to the flea bites. He developed a fever, and a cough, and started wheezing very bad. His bites developed blisters which had to be drained several times. He had to be given a breathing treatment and my son has never needed anything like that his whole life," the Facebook post reads.

Bridges later confronted the staff at the day care, asking them: "What bit my child?" Bridges says none of the staff would tell her -- except Mason's teacher.

"She's like, 'Ms. Aubrey, can I pull you aside for a second?," said Bridges. "She said, 'It's not ants. It's fleas and we were told if we told the parents, we would get reprimanded."

WXII 12 News got in touch with Mason's teacher, who says she was later fired because she told Bridges about the fleas on the property. A text conversation between Bridges and the teacher, prior to her dismissal shows the teacher saying: "Just don't let them know I told you about the fleas." It also shows the teacher telling Bridges about another incident saying: "One little girl got bit in eight different places."

Bridges said she did reach out to the corporate office and was told there was nothing the company could do.